


Fireside

by kiite



Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson
Genre: Gen, just lotsa talkin!, other characters are mentioned but its really only these two
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-07 12:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18620578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiite/pseuds/kiite
Summary: Moomintroll wakes up during hibernation and can't get back to sleep. What's a Moomin to do but find someone to pass the time with?





	Fireside

Moomintroll awoke to the sensation of soft moonlight washing over his face. He rolled over in bed, but the damage had already been done: he was awake. Grumbling a bit, he grabbed hold of the seasonal clock next to his bed and brought it to his face.

“It’s barely past Midwinter!” Moomintroll exclaimed in dismay. Once more he had awoken during hibernation, and he berated himself for not thinking to close his curtains. Moomintroll knew from experience that falling back asleep was no easy task. With a forlorn sigh, he dragged himself out of bed and padded over to his window.

A thin layer of frost covered the glass, welding the window shut. With enough force (and a few words Moomintroll certainly wouldn’t have repeated had his Mamma been awake), the window flew open. Moomintroll gasped as he was blasted with chilly winter air, nearly knocking him backwards. He grabbed the cold windowsill with his paws and surveyed the winter landscape.

Moominvalley looked just as desolate as the last time Moomintroll had awoken in the winter. Bright white snow blanketed the rolling hills, and every creature with a bit of sense in their head was tucked away in their bed. Moomintroll was about to shut the window and try to sleep again when a spot of yellow caught his attention. Squinting, he was able to make out the shape: a tent.

Moomintroll’s heart nearly leapt out of his throat. _Snufkin?_ he though hopefully, before pushing the thought away. No, no, Snufkin would have no reason to return to Moominvalley in the middle of winter. His cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment from even having the thought.

Realizing sleep was likely not an option, Moomintroll sighed and begin to clamber out his window. His steps were careful and calculated, as he had no plans to slip and fall. His paws plopped down in the snow with a gentle crunch, and he shivered. Luckily for Moomintroll, his thick winter coat had already grown in and was giving it’s all to keep out the winter chill.

As he walked towards the distant camp, Moomintroll pondered the nature of the mysterious visitor. Would they be happy to see someone else, or would they like to be left alone? Moomintroll knew that he, certainly, would be glad to see another person. A sudden thought stopped Moomintroll in his tracks: what if there was no one there at all, and it was simply a remnant of the fall? The possibility of being even more alone nearly turned Moomintroll around, but he pushed onwards, willing to take the chance.

The tent had been pitched in a little clearing, snow scraped away (but quickly replenishing itself; Moomintroll vaguely wondered if he should offer to help clear it) and a small fire pit dug in the center. There was no movement or noise as Moomintroll approached, and he wrung his paws together a bit nervously. He knocked on a log (positioned perfectly for nighttime conversations around a campfire, in Moomintroll’s opinion) and called out, “Hullo! Is anybody home?”

Moomintroll waited, holding his breath. After many moments without a response, his tail drooped and his ears fell. How silly he was to think anyone else would be out in this weather! So consumed in his thoughts and embarrassment was Moomintroll that he did not notice one bit as the front of the tent slowly opened, and a head popped out.

“Are you aware, friend, that it is quite common for creatures such as myself to be asleep during the middle of the night?” Said a voice with an accent that Moomintroll couldn’t quite place. Moomintroll nearly jumped out of his fur, and he quickly faced the tent. He couldn’t make out the details of the speaker (as Moomins do not have night-eyes, you see), but it didn’t sound like anyone he knew. “It is also quite rude to go around knocking on logs when people are sleeping.”

Moomintroll grew more and more embarrassed by the moment, turning a shade of red usually only seen on poppies and flustered Snorks. “Oh my, I’m so sorry sir! I was just oh so lonely, and I saw a tent, and I only wanted to talk— I wasn’t thinking of the time, honest!”

There was another pause, and then a rustling as the stranger emerged. He walked (somehow silently, Moomintroll noticed) over to Moomintroll, surveying him closely. “My old friend Moomin, is that you?” he asked in wonder, cocking his head to the side.

Now that he was out in the moonlight, Moomintroll could make him out a little better. He had short, unkempt hair that stuck up at odd angles all over. His eyes shone almost unnaturally (no matter the angle from which one looked at him), and he had a thin tail that swept gently over the snow. Now Moomintroll was certain that they hadn’t ever met.

“You must be mistaken,” Moomintroll started apologetically, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before. Are you perhaps thinking of my father, Moominpappa? He has gone on all kinds of adventures and met all sorts of people. My name is also Moomintroll, though!”

The stranger produced a pipe from somewhere, knocking it a few times before lighting it. “Mm, my apologies. I must have been mistaken. Hup, pff.” Leaning back into his tent, he grabbed a hat and situated it on his head. He uncovered the fire pit, revealing a few dry pieces of kindling, and started up a fire. He seated himself, one leg crossed over the other, on the log. “I am the Joxter. I go where I please, sleep all day, and simply allow things to take their course. As is life.”

Moomintroll’s ears perked up. “Oh, so you’re the Joxter from my Pappa’s stories! It’s a pleasure to meet you sir, truly!” Moomintroll was beaming, excited not only to have found company, but certainly _interesting_ company. He sat on the log as well, swinging his legs. “Why have you come to visit Moominvalley in the winter, though? Surely you must know that Moominvalley is quite unwelcoming in the winter, what with the snow and all.”

The Joxter laughed, certainly one of the stranger laughs Moomintroll had heard in his life. “That’s precisely why I’m here, my friend!” he announced proudly, his tail thumping the snow gently. “For you see, Joxters only like to go to places that they should not be; it is simply my nature.”

“Oh, I see.” Moomintroll nodded sagely, even though he most certainly did not see. He realized that he could ponder the Joxter’s words all night, and he still would not understand, so he let it be.

The Joxter studied Moomintroll closely, his intense eyes seeming to stare straight into Moomintroll’s very soul. “Yes, yes, you certainly do look like your dear old father. Hopefully you haven’t inherited his penchant for rescuing nasty old Aunts who tell you to stop smoking so much and scold you for sleeping on the floor. I simply can’t stand them.”

Moomintroll shook his head seriously. “I’ve never rescued any aunts! And I’ve got no plans to, either!” The Joxter just laughed again, and gave him a noise of approval. There was another brief silence before Moomintroll spoke up again. “Do you travel often?”

“Oh, always.” The Joxter replied between puffs. “A Joxter, or any sane person in my opinion, cannot stay in any one place for too long. Once you have been somewhere for a while, it begins to feel like a home, and a home is no place for a Joxter.”

Once again, Moomintroll could not fully understand this. What’s wrong with having a home? He thought Moominhouse was a lovely place, and couldn’t imagine leaving it behind forever. “So you travel simply because you must keep moving? You aren’t searching for something?”

The Joxter turned his curious gaze back to Moomintroll. “Searching for something? Certainly not; I have no need for anything but my old pipe and the stars above my head.” Noticing a sense of disappointment from his companion, the Joxter prodded further. “Why ever do you ask?”

“Well, it’s just...” suddenly Moomintroll wondered if his next words might sound selfish, but he couldn’t stop himself. “My dear friend Snufkin— your son, of course— leaves every winter to travel, and I always miss him terribly, even when I’m asleep. So I wondered if perhaps he was looking for something, so that I might find it. Then he wouldn’t have to leave.”

“Oh, dear.” The Joxter said with a sigh. He put his pipe down next to him. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple, young one. I have always traveled simply because I must; comfort and complacency are the bane of my existence, so I press on. But everyone travels for his own reasons, young Moomintroll. Have you asked Snufkin about his?”

Moomintroll nodded, still a little glum. “Every winter. Snufkin always says that he must be free. When he stays in Moominvalley for too long, he feels like a fish trapped in a tiny pond, longing for the ocean.” Moomintroll kicked the snow a bit, careful not to kick it into the fire. “I don’t really get what’s so wrong with a nice pond, though. Especially if it has pretty water lilies and pond skaters.”

“I’m afraid my son may have inherited a bit too much of my free spirit.” The Joxter offered apologetically. “Such is the nature of Joxters, and Snufkins, I suppose, to wander. But he returns here, yes?” The Joxter asked, watching the fire slowly die.

“Oh yes! Snufkin always comes back, every spring. Sometimes he’s a little late, but I don’t mind terribly.” Moomintroll said proudly, though it wasn’t entirely true; he always made a fuss whenever Snufkin was late to return to Moominvalley, and his mood remained foul until he heard the first notes of the new spring tune echoing through the valley.

The Joxter nodded. “Then everything is alright. You see, Mymbles possess a great capacity for love, far greater than my own. Dear Snufkin has my wanderlust, yes, but he also has his mother’s heart. And when a Mymble has found something to love, nothing can keep them from it.”

Moomintroll cocked his head. “So Snufkin loves Moominvalley, and that’s why he keeps coming back?” Moomintroll asked, thumping his tail on the log absentmindedly.

The Joxter gave him a long, hard look. “Hmm.” He hummed, with a knowing smile. “Perhaps it’s the valley. Perhaps it’s something— or someone— else. Who could say.” The Joxter stretched, paws interlocked above his head. “I’m not one for meddling in the affairs of others, you know.” he declared with a yawn.

This proved to be infectious, as Moomintroll found himself yawning wide as well. “Maybe I should be getting back to bed…” he wondered aloud, gazing at the moon. “Hibernation is very important for us Moomins, you know.”

“Oh, yes, yes, very important,” The Joxter said, though it didn’t sound as if he was actually listening anymore. He stood up, dusting the light cover of snow off his hat and tunic. “Well, I’m afraid I must be off. Urgent sleeping to do, you understand. Give your father my kindest regards when spring comes.”

Moomintroll hopped off the log, shivering as his paws touched the snow. “Will you be gone by morning, Mister Joxter?” he called out, as his companion had already begun retreating into his tent.

“Most certainly!” The Joxter replied, somewhat muffled. He popped his head back out, his hat already having been removed. “I’ve come to the conclusion that perhaps even in the winter, Moominvalley is not as unwelcoming as they say. Which means that this is no place for a Joxter to be! Enjoy your hibernation, little Moomintroll.”

With that, Moomintroll was left alone again, only now he didn’t feel so lonely. He smiled, wishing The Joxter a goodnight and safe travels, and ran home. Scuttling up his rope ladder, Moomintroll shut the window tight and drew the curtains closed. Tucked safely into bed, Moomintroll found he couldn’t wait for Snufkin’s return so they could exchange stories, and he was asleep before he knew it.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if this fic aint mobile friendly on account of the pic


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